Curated by Sophie Mayuko Arni
Part I, HB.Nezu, Tokyo, Japan
June 18 – July 2, 2021
Part II, ILY Hub, Tokyo, Japan
July 1 – 24, 2021
Part III, Block House, Tokyo, Japan
July 8 – 23, 2021
Exhibition Website
Curatorial Assistant: Sherry Wu
Graphic Design: Heijiro Yagi
Installation Cooperation: HB.Nezu
Exhibition Design: Akira Sakishita
Digital Exhibition Partner: Art Curator Grid
Photography: Naoki Takehisa
East-East: UAE meets Japan Vol.4, The Curio Shop
“Curios”, a 19th-century abbreviation for “curiosities,” used to describe works of fine craftsmanship sold in Japan to early foreign settlers in late 19th century Japanese port cities. “Curio-hunting” was one of their favorite pastimes and the most popular product categories were porcelain, lacquerware, bronze-work, bamboo work, silk embroidery, and woodcut prints. Two centuries later, instead of lacquerware and porcelain vases, manga, anime, and digital design have emerged as today’s Japanese curios. In the Arabian Gulf, images of postmodern architecture, skyscrapers, and desert dunes have emerged as some sort of “jpg curio”, instantly recognizable images of the Gulf and its booming economy. This exhibition aims to present a contemporary and youth-led version of a cabinet of curiosities blending these two geographies in an East-East context.
Installation views. East-East: UAE meets Japan Vol.4, The Curio Shop, curated by Sophie Mayuko Arni. HB Nezu, June 18 - July 2 2021, Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Naoki Takehisa.
East-East Vol.4: The Curio Shop marks the fourth iteration of the East-East: UAE meets Japan exhibition series, which started in 2016 at the NYU Abu Dhabi Project Space. After two subsequent volumes at CHI-KA Space, a gallery in Dubai, UAE (2016-2017), East-East will debut its Tokyo edition this summer 2021 at HB.Nezu, BLOCK HOUSE, and ILY Hub Art Hours.
The East-East exhibition series stems from an intention to decentralize Eurocentric art historical approaches by showcasing a new generation of artists from the Arabian Gulf and East Asia. “Why look Westwards when you can look East?” is the question I posed in the first East-East curatorial foreword in Abu Dhabi. Being submerged in a city known for its ‘East meets West’ byline, pushed
towards generating culture that is both importable and exportable, I started to question the value of the East-West binary.
One often hears of a winning West interacting with a victimized, orientalized, and exoticized East. In an era of digital interconnectivity, in which Asia is increasingly gaining traction as the new cultural epicenter, the idea of a center of cultural production is becoming increasingly irrelevant. In this context, this exhibition aims to explore the layers of Middle Eastern and Asian cultural exchange for the 21st-century mind. The youth of today, whether in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, or Tokyo, is influenced by a complex cultural sphere outside of the East-West paradigm.
This volume’s title is The Curio Shop. Inspired by the title of Felice Beato’s photograph taken in Yokohama in 1868, this exhibition seeks to transpose the idea of the “curio” in today’s Tokyo. “Curios”, a 19th-century abbreviation for “curiosities,” used to describe works of fine craftsmanship sold in Japan to early European and American foreign settlers. Following the 1854 Port Treaties initiated by Commodore Perry, Japan opened its borders to trade in two cities after over a century of isolation: Yokohama and Nagasaki. With a special quarter welcoming foreign government officials, diplomats, artists, and traders, Yokohama became a hub for cross-cultural commerce. “Curio-hunting” was one of their favorite pastimes and the most popular product categories were porcelain, lacquerware, bronze-work, bamboo work, silk embroidery, and woodcut prints.
Two centuries later, instead of lacquerware and porcelain vases, manga and anime have emerged as today’s Japanese curios. In the Arabian Gulf, images of postmodern architecture, skyscrapers, and desert dunes have emerged as some sort of “jpg curio,” instantly recognizable images of the Gulf and its booming economy. This exhibition will aim to present a contemporary version of a cabinet
of curiosities blending these two geographies. Thanks to broadband technology, digital connectivity, and social media, images of Japan and the Gulf travel the world on a daily basis. They have reached beyond what we would typically call the “West” and reached millions of households throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. These are often untold stories, and I believe they
deserve the spotlight. Most specifically in the GCC, how did manga and anime affect the minds of artists who grew up watching Arabic-dubbed anime in the late 80s and 90s? What represents the “Japanese dream” for artists from the Gulf, and what kind of fears and desires are placed upon it? What makes Japan so attractive as a travel destination? On the other hand, how did anime and manga
affect Japanese youth? How do artists today view their own cultural exports?
What represents the “Japanese dream” for artists from the Gulf, and what kind of fears and desires are placed upon it?
This exhibition will open during a worldwide pandemic, a year after 2020 – the supposedly golden year for Dubai’s Expo and Tokyo Olympics. Instead of welcoming millions of tourists, Dubai and Tokyo have been navigating lockdown measures and safety precautions. In this sense, the exhibition also questions the production of souvenirs in the post-pandemic world. Does the idea of the exotic still stand when travel is physically restricted? The works presented in this exhibition will aim to redefine the idea of the “exotic” today.
— Sophie Mayuko Arni
May 2021, Tokyo
Installation views. East-East: UAE meets Japan Vol.4, The Curio Shop, curated by Sophie Mayuko Arni. BLOCK HOUSE, July 8 – 23, 2021, Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Naoki Takehisa.
This exhibition premiered the following artists, based in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, in Japan: Aisha Al Ali, Aliyah Al Awadhi, Almaha Jaralla, Arthur de Oliveira, Christopher Benton, Hashel Al Lamki, Salman Al Najem, and Khalid Mezaina. The
exhibition also features the works of six Japanese artists: BIEN, DAISAK, Heijiro Yagi, Koiichiro Tada, Rintaro Fuse, and Tomoki Kurokawa.
“East-East Vol.4: The Curio Shop” ran at three venues in central Tokyo from June to July 2021: HB.Nezu (June 18 – July 2, 2021), ILY, Hub (July 1 – 24, 2021), and BLOCK HOUSE B1F (July 8 – 23, 2021).
Part I
June 18 – July 2, 2021
HB.Nezu
〒110-0008 Tokyo, Taito City
Ikenohata, 2 Chome−6−12, Japan
HB.Nezu is a curatorial collective and site in Nezu, East Tokyo, organized by Atsuhiro Miyake, Jukan Tateisi, and Yuu Takagi. Founded in February 2020, the space aims to act as a curatorial playground for independent curators to work in creative and diverse ways and invite emerging and not-yet-introduced international artists to Japan. HB.Nezu is located in the historical Nezu area, next to Tokyo University of the Arts.
Part II
July 1 – 24, 2021
ILY, Hub
B1, Court Daikanyama 1-33-18, Ebisunishi,
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0021. Japan
ILY, Hub is an experimental site for social design for the business community, based on the design firm ILY, inc. With the mission of "Design, for good days”, ILY, Hub explores various designs and businesses for a better society through dialogue, discussion, and mutual learning. The space is located in Tokyo’s hip Dainkanyama district, and functions as a co-working space for many remote workers and cultural entrepreneurs in the area. With “ILY, art hours”, the space also wants to engage critically with the concept of business and design through hypotheses and experiments by creating points of contact not only with business but also with art and culture.
Part III
July 8 – 23, 2021
BLOCK HOUSE
〒 150-0001 Shibuya City, Tokyo
6 Chome-12-9 Jingumae, Japan
BLOCK HOUSE is located in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. Designed by Central Archetype architectural firm, BLOCK HOUSE was completed in the summer of 2012. The building itself is composed of four flights plus a basement, housing a variety of tenants - art space "THE PLUG”, gallery “Island Japan”, a cafe/bar, tea room and two independent galleries. BLOCK HOUSE hosts a wide range of events, from fashion showings and art exhibitions to live music and more. BLOCK HOUSE operates as a complex space, promoting cultural transmission beyond genre and industry, supporting and producing Tokyo’s contemporary culture.
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